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Compression guide

How to compress video for Discord

Discord's free tier caps file attachments at 25 MB. Nitro Basic raises it to 50 MB; full Nitro to 500 MB. Most users hit the 25 MB wall when sharing screen recordings or short clips. The trick is targeting 24 MB to leave a safety margin — Discord's upload check is strict.

Size limit

25 MB

Target output: 24 MB (with safety margin)

Free: 25 MB

Nitro Basic: 50 MB

Nitro: 500 MB

Recommended settings

CodecH.264
CRF (quality)28
Audio bitrate96 Kbps AAC
QuickVid modeTiny

ffmpeg one-liner

For terminal-comfortable users, here's the exact command:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset medium -vf scale=-2:720 -c:a aac -b:a 96k -movflags +faststart output.mp4

Install ffmpeg via Homebrew: brew install ffmpeg

Tips

  • •Target 24 MB rather than 25 MB — Discord occasionally rejects files within 100 KB of the limit
  • •H.264 plays in every Discord client (web, desktop, mobile) without any plugin work
  • •Drop audio bitrate to 96 Kbps for voice-only content; 128 Kbps for music
  • •If video plays in Discord with no sound, the codec is right but the audio container is wrong — use AAC, not Vorbis

Skip the terminal

QuickVid Compress wraps these settings into a one-click "Tiny" mode. Drop your video, pick the mode, save the result. About 30 seconds end-to-end.

Try QuickVid

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

What is the video size limit for Discord?

Discord's default video size limit is 25 MB. Free: 25 MB; Nitro Basic: 50 MB; Nitro: 500 MB. To fit comfortably below the limit, target 24 MB when compressing.

What's the best codec for Discord?

H.264 at CRF 28 produces the best balance of size and quality for Discord. 96 Kbps AAC audio is the right pairing — universal compatibility and small footprint.

How do I compress a video for Discord on Mac?

Drop the file into a Mac compressor like QuickVid Compress (use the "Tiny" mode) or run the ffmpeg one-liner: ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset medium -vf scale=-2:720 -c:a aac -b:a 96k -movflags +faststart output.mp4. Both produce output that fits Discord's 25 MB limit with no visible quality loss.

Why does Discord reject my video?

Most rejections are file-size related: Discord caps at 25 MB. Other reasons include unsupported codec (use H.264 for maximum compatibility, not HEVC), missing the +faststart flag (which keeps streaming usable on slow connections), or audio in a non-AAC container.

Can I send larger videos via Discord?

Discord offers higher limits on paid tiers — Nitro accepts 500 MB. Alternatively, host the video elsewhere (YouTube unlisted, Google Drive, Dropbox) and share a link. For sensitive content where you don't want third-party hosting, compress aggressively to fit the free tier.